Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD)

The Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) technique was detailed by Dr. Stephen LaBerge in his book, Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (1990).

Dr. LaBerge developed this technique in order to become lucid more frequently. Before this technique, LaBerge recorded an average of one lucid dream per month. After developing it, he increased his number of lucid dreams dramatically, experiencing as many as four in one night, and as many as twenty-six in one month!

Imagine being able to have a lucid dream almost every night and even multiple times per night! If you learn the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams technique properly and practice regularly, that dream will become reality (pun intended).

Technique

In order to have a good base of knowledge before attempting this technique, it is important to have an understanding and basic practice of dream recall, reality checks, and dream incubation.

Once you think you're ready, here's how to perform the MILD technique in five steps:

1. Commit to waking up

Tell yourself to stay awake every time that you naturally wake up during the night. If you typically stay asleep through the entire night, try setting a soft alarm or timer to wake up after 4.5 and 6 hours of sleep.

2. Dream recall

When you wake up, try to remember all the details of the dream you just had. Here are some tips.

Set your intentions as you drift to sleep. Repeat a mantra in your head such as "I will remember that I'm dreaming and become lucid."

4. Visualize yourself becoming lucid

Imagine yourself back in the dream you just had, only this time you will notice that it is a dream. During the dream, you realize that what you are experiencing is dreamlike, so you perform a reality check. Now knowing it's a dream, you are ecstatic! You're dreaming!

5. Fall asleep

Once your incubation and visualization feel set, it's now time to fall asleep. Try not to let your mind wander. Instead, put your focus back on your intention to notice when you are dreaming. It is more effective if this is your last thought before nodding off.

Conclusion

You may find yourself having trouble or getting frustrated the first few times you try. This is perfectly normal.

Learn from those experiences and try to make the next attempt even easier. If you find it hard to notice when you wake up, try setting an alarm or timer. If you have a hard time falling back to sleep, that's ok. It can be beneficial to have a longer period of incubation and visualization.

Eventually, you will become lucid with the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams technique. It is only a matter of time and is very rewarding when the work pays off!